GOLDSTREAM MOOSE CREEK SERVICE AREA MEETING

 

JANUARY 27, 2005

 

The meeting was called to order by Chair Clint Meyer at 7:00 p.m., at the Ken Kunkel Community Center.

 

MEMBERS PRESENT   Clint Meyer, Mario Gho, Doreen Fitzgerald, Ed Herrgard, and Diane Herrmann (Alternate)

 

MEMBER ABSENT        Pete Simpson

 

CONTRACTOR PRESENT          Joan S. O’Leary, Alaska Forget-Me-Not Word Processing Service

 

Quorum was established.

 

GUESTS PRESENT

            Scooter Welch

            Roger Evans

            Felix Krause

            Silke Schiewer

            Deborah Koons

            Fred and Erna Sturmann

            Jen Athey and Jamie Roush

            Gar and Jan Pessel

            Dann Maninger

            Randy Goodwin

                        (List attached to original minutes)

 

Clint Meyer welcomed everyone to the meeting.

 

Motion made and seconded (C.Meyer/D.Fitzgerald) to approve the minutes of September 30, 2004. Minutes are posted on the Website. The approval of minutes will be added to the next agenda. No further discussion or objection. Motion passes.

 

Budget for GMC (Goldstream Moose Creek) Service Area

Clint gave an update on the budget. The budget spreadsheet is available for review. As of today there is about $7,000 left in available funds without getting into the reserve up to June 30, 2005. This year the borough is going to pass the insurance onto us and also full administration cost. Clint has the insurance packet and if anyone wants a copy they can request it from Clint. This year the administration fee was $1,980 and this coming year it will be like $5,800. The reason it was not brought up at the last meeting was because it was just adopted about a month ago by the Borough Assembly. This next year we will have to be careful of what we’re going to do. We will be okay but we will need to figure out how to make up that deficit of $4,000. Clint explained the Reserve Account. Twenty percent of the operating budget of the current fiscal year is put aside in case we get into trouble, but that can be used only with written permission to remove any of it. The $50,000 was never touched before so whatever we have left we will place this in our savings before June 30th. They will only take 20 percent of $32,000 instead of 20 percent of $50,000.

 

Welcome New Commissioner

Diane Hermann is the new alternate commissioner, but she arrived later in the meeting.

 

Comments on Road Contractor - M&M Constructors

Doreen reported that there was only one lane plowed on Keystone during the last snowfall and they blocked all the driveways. Clint went down when Doreen called and had made one pass down the road, but the next day M&M came in. When something like this occurs, Clint needs to be called so he can look at it and have them come back. Clint usually drives all the roads after a plowing. Clint called M&M and asked them to cut the uphill side of the road so we can get the snow off the downhill so there is not a hard pack issue and ditch plugging this spring. If they are cutting the uphill side of the road and your driveway has not been plowed and there are cuts that deep that is your responsibility. When it comes to hard pack removal, they are required by borough standards to feather that back in the driveways but not under regular snowplowing conditions. A resident asked about the culvert still in the ditch and Clint said that would be taken care of first thing this spring.

 

Borough land disposal parcel in the GMC area. Felix Krause will update everyone.

This item was moved to the last part of the meeting.

 

Possible state funding for Moose Mountain river culvert/T intersection.

The state called Clint about two months ago and Ed and Felix assisted. Ed filled out paperwork and submitted it. Ed explained when the state has extra money for projects; they pick out certain areas for projects. Clint said they called back and said that we were one of four projects in the whole State of Alaska that they had accepted. The proposal was to upgrade the culvert, upgrade Moose Mountain main road, and fixing the culverts that continually plug up. They were figuring on somewhere around $1,200,000. The downside of it is we have to come up with 10 percent. Clint told him over the phone there is no way that he could see we could come up with 10 percent, but maybe we could come up with 10 percent of $600,000. He said okay. Clint has called a number of different people and the grant writer for the borough is looking into other possible funding. He could not find any grants but he was going to see what else he could find to come up with $60,000 or part of $60,000. Ed felt it would be like a three-year project. Clint was open for any ideas for matching funding or at least come up with some of it. They are willing to do something. A grant writer stated he would come and talk at a meeting regarding grant writing. Clint will contact a couple of individuals he knows regarding grant writing. If anyone has any ideas they should contact Clint. This is a couple of years down the road but we need to start working on this.

 

The problem area of the culvert and T intersection were discussed in detail. Clint said about the only way to fix this is to move the road and that is another issue to be discussed later in the meeting. A bridge provided by Fish and Wildlife is being discussed since there is fish in this creek.

 

Recently created group by the Borough Assembly called Service Area District Council

Clint explained the creation of the Service Area District Council. Someone will need to be appointed to represent GMC Road Service Area. They will meet four times a year in district councils. Our area is Area 5 and would start at Ester Dome area and go all the way to Haystack. Mario explained it is a mechanism for the different services area to talk to each other and discuss problems with contractors, with the borough, and so forth. We will all be independent of each other for now. They need someone by February 18th. Alfred Sturmann volunteered to be GMC’s representative.

 

Mailboxes

Clint stated there are 14 mailboxes left. Clint proposed that possibly the service area purchase one of the boxes for the service area business mail and use it so that each time the Chairman of the commission changes the GMC address does not change.

 

Motion made and seconded (C.Meyer/M.Gho) to purchase one of the mailboxes for the service area business mail. This was felt to be a great idea. No further discussion. No objection. Motion passes.

 

Community bulletin board temporarily taken down

Clint temporarily took the bulletin board down because it was falling down as someone had bumped it getting his or her mail. When spring comes it will be replaced. Doreen lost her glove and it was a real important glove to her. Three weeks the glove was missing and one night she was at a different angle to the bulletin board and her lights shown on the board and there was her glove. Doreen was so happy. It was like her glove went on a vacation and it came back. So Doreen thinks it is a nice thing to have a bulletin board there. Clint agrees and definitely wants to get it back up. Clint felt posts were needed in front of the mailboxes also because not only did they get the sign, but they hit the first two mailboxes, which they bumped and tore loose.

 

Other comments, issues the public wants to discuss

Mario apologized for not reading the agenda or the minutes from the previous meeting and felt they were fine with the service we have been provided. Mario would like the commissioners to be provided with a copy of the minutes for the next meeting and following meetings. Clint will do this and also that approval of the minutes would be the first item on the agenda.

 

Roger Evans reported that Moose Mountain has a permit to widen their parking lot. It has been cleared for a long time. They are looking for dirt and rock. One place that comes to mind is the dangerous curve coming around the corner and if we were to remove some of that down to the road’s grade so that you could see around that corner that would help a lot. A lot of people want to park on that corner so they can access that trail and it is absolutely the worse place to park. We would remove that. Clint asked if they would do a swap for material. We had planned to do a land swap with the borough. Where the road comes now we are going to move the road closer to Roger’s gate, but if Roger wants to do a swap for some gravel material for dirt Clint thinks that would be a real good situation. Roger stated it would depend on where it would come from. Roger does not want to cut too much more into that cliff. Clint stated Roger could take the inside corner, which you want to do, and then in exchange for that Roger could bring us some rock from over from the guy’s across the road (Sheep Creek) as a material swap. We could work out an equitable thing, figure out the value of each. Roger would get some quick haul time and we would get some rock for our new road and everyone would come out happy. Roger stated this is worth considering. Clint said they were not opposed to the idea but the service area has to be sure that we are not giving something away that we need later that we are going to pay for as we have limited funds. This area definitely is of concern to Roger and Clint agreed that it had been discussed. It will be this summer before anything is done.

 

Borough land disposal parcel in the GMC area. Felix Krause will update everyone.

Felix Krause, 3655 Keystone Road, 457-2772, gave a slide presentation regarding this situation. Felix stated we would rather prefer not to see any development there and do not believe in a sprawling suburb. Instead of objecting to this completely we are trying to keep a second route open and having a plan B and having more people take part in this project. Felix gave a brief summary of the project, the borough’s approach to the project, Roger Evan’s proposal received approximately two years ago, our own proposals, options we have and then questions.

 

The whole project was a surprise approximately two years ago. It is mainly the Department of Land Management (Fairbanks North Star Borough) that is involved. The main person is Paul Costello with the ideas. Bob Craig is the public relations person and Karrie Shaw and Kristin Machacek are the ground forces. A sheet with their names and telephone numbers was provided. (Attached to Minutes)

 

A draft request drawing for proposal was provided. (Attached to Minutes). In the last proposal it was broken up in more than three areas, which was pointed out in the slides. Two areas are for residential and one is commercial. Since there was such an outcry from us regarding the commercial area, it has been watered down. It is now called mixed commercial area. At the last meeting they thought things like convenience store/gas stations, transfer stations and so on. Protest letters are available regarding this. This started with approximately 150 acres and increased to 258 acres and might increase to 300 acres or more. They seem to increase this plan as they go and when not encountering any objections. This area is only the beginning. The grand plans for the future are going up to Old Murphy Dome Road and up to Old Steese Highway to be developed one day and they see this area as a gate to this area.

 

They succeeded in the last year of putting 40 acres aside saving the top of the mountain. We asked for more and we got 40. They are acknowledging that there are trails, although they are not officially recorded yet. The road situation was explained and pointed out by Felix. The commercial area situation was also covered.

 

Two years ago Roger Evans had provided a demonstration of a more integrated use of the property. Roger stated he is with the group and nothing is better for us. We are certainly not prepared to start a new project. Felix pointed out the lots, ski runs, and commercial area on a drawing. There were 40 lots of five acres or so. The size of this is a little over 200 acres.

 

Another proposal was made by the group, which Felix provided and theirs was only 80 to 90 acres. Felix gave details on this.

 

 

Felix encouraged everyone to write letters, attend the meetings if possible, and voice their opinions to the borough. The second best option is getting together to try to work out alternatives. The borough sees this as a model for the future and they would like to work together with us, but the question is if we can work together with them. Until now we have worked together with them. The borough has proposed to come to the next GMC Road Service Meeting and they are excited to put forth their point of view. Also of assistance is Letters to the Editor of the Daily News-Miner and possibly create a joint petition letter among all of us and try to steer it at least in the direction that is more agreeable to all of us.

 

Felix thanked everyone for letting him give this presentation. Everyone appreciated the work Felix and the rest have done regarding this.

 

Roger Evans brought up an issue near this area that should also be of concern. We all need to be aware of what is transpiring. A lady asked regarding why this area for development. Felix stated they want to dispose of the land and there was not much development in the past. They want to increase the tax base and in the past it was nearly always the borough that developed the whole area. We would much rather have the borough do it but they want to throw it out to a private developer. The borough holds itself to higher standards then they do for the developers. What we want is if somebody develops this at least he has to suffer the consequences and live there because if he lives there he takes care of his development. Felix pointed out again that they started small and they keep increasing and Felix saw it coming, but they took some back when they were questioned. Felix feels we might be able to stop the commercial area and because they expect a lot of opposition there.

 

The Land Advisory Committee meeting is once a month, the last week of the month and is an open meeting, but they are very forthcoming when you attend the meeting.

 

The borough is currently updating the comprehensive plan land use plan, updated about every 10 years. This coming Monday, January 31, 2005 between three and six p.m. they will have a presentation at the Ken Kunkel Community Center and show the plans for the next 10 years. This is our chance to have input.

 

Next Meeting Date

The next meeting is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., Thursday, March 24, 2005 at the Ken Kunkel Community Center.

 

Clint asked the commissioners to come up with ideas that we need to do for the summer season and also if they can think of anyone else from the borough that they want to attend the meeting. Clint had also asked for Public Works to attend and asked if the Platting people should be invited also.

 

Doreen stated one thing is the zoning commission because land use cannot be changed without a change in zoning and they seem to be fairly receptive people when they object to changes in zoning. Maybe sometime we should find out more about that.

 

Doreen brought up the issue of wild fires. One of the situations was that this summer that the fire could have spread into Goldstream Valley because of old growth spruce and which has not burned in a long time. You cannot count on your local fire department or the Department of Forestry to put it out. There a lots of things that individual homeowners can do to protect their property in terms of what they do with the vegetation around their homes, pruning, getting rid of certain things that will be a big help. Doreen said she could take some of the things they are publishing and put it on our Website.

 

The commissioners thanked everyone for attending.

 

Adjournment

With no further business to come before the Commission, the meeting adjourned at 8:23 p.m.

 

            DRAFT

 

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January 27, 2005                       GOLDSTREAM MOOSE CREEK SERVICE AREA MEETING               Page 6 of 6